In the mass production of baked goods such as crackers or savory snacks, topping materials may be continuously applied to a dough sheet or dough pieces prior to baking to promote adhesion of the particulate composition to the moist dough. However, in the pre-baking application of toppings, it is generally only practical to coat only one side of the product because of the conventional transfer of doughs on flat conveyor belts to and through a continuous oven. Furthermore, heat-sensitive seasonings may be adversely affected in terms of flavor, appearance, or texture by the baking process. The post-baking application of toppings avoids the destruction of heat sensitive in ingredients. However, the application of toppings to baked goods while they are on a conveyor belt still only achieves a one-sided coating.
In either the pre-baking or post-baking topical application of particulate compositions, the compositions are dispensed by a dispenser which extends across the conveyor belt or band. This arrangement dispenses particulate topping compositions, such as salt, in a relatively narrow band across the belt so as to coat the dough or baked good product below. However, dispensing a particulate composition upon a product while it is being conveyed on a conveying band generally results in the wasting of product unless the substrate is in sheet form or the pieces are closely spaced so that the particulate ingredient fails primarily upon the intended substrate.
Furthermore, the topical application of particulate ingredients which are sufficiently light, fine, or of low specific gravity so as to become airborne upon dispensing presents additional problems. For example, the escape of airborne particulates to the bakery atmosphere is wasteful. Also, the airborne particulates may be undesirably incorporated into or onto other baked goods which may be under production in a nearby bakery line. Vacuum hoods may be used to collect airborne particulates. However, such systems may be difficult to adapt to or configure to a conveyor belt system with high collection efficiency. In addition, the application of a vacuum to the dough prior to baking or just after baking may cause undesirable surface drying or moisture gradients which can adversely affect texture, appearance, or checking.
Toppings may be applied to both sides of a baked good by tumbling the baked good pieces while dispensing the topping upon the pieces. For example, inclined, rotating drums may be used to transport and tumble baked good pieces while dispensing a topping material thereupon. This type of system is generally used in conjunction with an oil based topping which is readily sprayed onto the pieces. However, rotating drums, particularly used at low rotational speeds to avoid product breakage, often do not result in substantially uniform coating of both sides of the pieces when particulates are dispensed upon them. With no separate means of agitating the pieces, they tend to layer or cover each other or tend to flip or tumble with too little frequency to provide desirable coverage.
Baked good tumbling and conveying with agitation of the pieces and of the topping composition may be achieved with conveyors equipped with counterrotating conveyor brushes. However, the delivery of particulate toppings onto the product has been by means of generally vertical, inverted Y-shaped tubes. These generally Y-shaped tubes deliver the particulates to a localized area and require the use of compressed air to disperse the particulates. This system has been found to result in uneven product coverage with large areas being uncovered with seasoning and other areas having too highly concentrated seasoning. Furthermore, the use of pressurized air to disperse the particulate composition results in excessive losses of the generally highly expensive seasoning composition as well as contamination of other product lines.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for the topical application of a particulate composition, such as a seasoning, substantially uniformly to the top surface and to the bottom surface of baked good pieces, such as crackers, biscuits, wafers, and sweet or savory snacks. The substantially uniform coating of the individual pieces is achieved without substantial product breakage, without the need for pressurized air to disperse the particulate composition, with little or no waste of particulate composition and without substantial contamination of other product lines by airborne particulates. The apparatus and process provides for the topical application of particulates on a mass production, continuous basis without adversely affecting flavor, appearance, or texture of heat-sensitive toppings. Finely granulated, or low specific gravity particulate ingredients, such as dried vegetable, herb, or spice flakes may be continually dispersed to obtain consistent, uniform baked good coverage without substantial particulate waste or contamination of nearby product lines.